by Kayley Achi | Dec. 11, 2024 | Biz Tips
Artificial intelligence can seem like an overwhelming, complicated topic. Nearly every day there’s news about companies like Google and Microsoft investing in AI or incorporating AI tools into their daily operations, but there’s little information out there for business owners wondering how AI can help them run and grow their business.
The best way to learn about AI is to try it! If you haven’t started your AI journey, I recommend starting with a user-friendly generative AI tool like ChatGPT, Anthropic Claude, Gemini, or Perplexity. Generative AI tools are made to learn and analyze data and patterns to create new content like text, images, or code.
As the viral “strawberry problem” showed this summer, generative AI tools still have a long way to go, but they can be great for brainstorming, drafting, summarizing, and comparing. Generative AI tools like ChatGPT are not great for creating final drafts, because as intelligent as AI is, you should treat all AI tools like interns. You might let an intern write a social media post or two without making changes, but you wouldn’t necessarily let an intern write your entire business plan or bid for a government contracting opportunity.
Artificial intelligence needs humans in the loop to ensure the outputs are accurate, fair, and trustworthy. People are also going to be more imaginative and creative than AI, so if you want something truly unique, you’ll need to add elements to whatever the AI comes up with. My recommendation as you’re trying generative AI tools is to:
- Be aware of the risks and ethical considerations
If you know anything about AI, it’s likely that AI is not always right or accurate. People in the industry call these false answers “hallucinations”, and it’s something to be aware of as you try out different AI tools. Don’t fully trust any answer and be precautious. Confirm the outputs. AI systems can inherit and amplify the biases that exist in the data they are trained on, which can reflect biases in our world. Data privacy and intellectual property are additional concerns. The risks and ethics of AI deserve much more consideration, so I recommend reviewing our Using AI for Business: Ethics and Cybersecurity Concerns webinar. - Build clear, specific prompts
Vague prompts tend to lead to poor results. How do you create good prompts? You practice! There isn’t one right way to write prompts because you can use the same prompt on different days or platforms and get entirely different results. The main thing is to be clear about what action you’d like AI to do. For example, you may use action words like summarize, organize, analyze, translate, create, edit, or solve. If you need the output in a specific format like a table, be clear about that too. I provide example prompts throughout this article to help you get started, but feel free to edit and experiment with prompts on your own. - Check the outputs
The great thing about AI is that it’s typically quick when providing answers or outputs. You may be thinking “AI is not saving me time if I have to review and edit it anyway, so I may as well do it myself!” That could be very true for certain tasks, but there are tons of time-intensive tasks where AI can save you time—even if you’re confirming the results or making tweaks after. The goal is to save 80% of your time and use the other 20% to review.
Now that we have the basics of how you can use AI for your business, let’s explore some more specific examples.
Content Creation
Generative AI tools can be useful for creating content for your website, blog, e-newsletters, or social media pages. I often use these tools for brainstorming and editing written content, but image generators like DALL-E have significantly improved in recent months, so I recommend trying AI image generators too.
Social Media Post Prompt: Write an Instagram caption promoting a special Valentine’s Day dinner where we will serve a set menu of dry-aged prime rib, truffle mac and cheese, and a chocolate lava cake. I run a steakhouse in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and my audience is local couples. I want to mention they should call to reserve a table.
Blog Post Prompt: I need ideas on topics for a new blog post on my website [link]. I want it to be about sustainability trends in childcare centers.
Editing an Article Prompt: Review the following article and provide specific feedback on clarity, coherence, and whether it has a professional tone. Identify any areas that could be improved, such as sentence structure, word choice, or overall organization. Provide suggestions on how I can include keywords pertaining to SEO throughout the article.
Drafting Business Plans and Proposals
AI won’t know your business as well as you do, but it can be a handy tool for drafting documents required for your business. If you are concerned about confidentiality, I recommend reviewing the tool’s privacy policy or removing the elements that are of highest concern like your business name or financials. Consider breaking up large documents into sections to get the most out of the AI tool and its feedback.
Document Drafting Prompt: I’m hoping to open Redacted Dining Co., a full-service, single-location restaurant in Lander, Wyoming. The restaurant will serve fine dining food with a focus on French cuisine. The restaurant will also serve premium cocktails, a curated wine list, and a small collection of French desserts. I want the focus of the restaurant to be locally sourced and seasonal ingredients. The restaurant will have a romantic atmosphere with art installations on the wall, candlelit tables, and occasionally live classical music. My target market will be tourists and millennial or older locals in high-income households. I’ve attached a market research report that will provide additional information on the industry. Provide a draft of the Consumer Segments section of Business Model Canvas using the information provided.
Competitor and Trend Analysis
You can use generative AI tools to see what’s popular, what’s happening in your area, and what your competitors are doing. Please note that hallucinations can be common, and some trend information may be outdated if the AI tools don’t have access to real time data. The best way to know if the AI’s information is up to date is to ask. You can see Gemini’s response to my question about data availability below. The free versions tend to have older data than the paid.
Competitor Analysis Prompt: What dog grooming businesses serve the Casper, Wyoming area? Please include their prices.
Trend Analysis Prompt: I need some ideas for my blog on solar energy innovations. Please give me a list of trending topics concerning solar energy in the United States today. Provide links to your sources.
Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming the business landscape, so now is the perfect time to learn and explore generative AI tools. Ask questions, find ways where it can make your life easier, and compare tools to find the right one for your business. AI can create social media calendars, develop buyer personas, and analyze your financials, but as Gemini puts it, AI is not a magic wand.
Remember to use AI ethically and responsibly by verifying the information, because the outputs can be vague or just plain wrong. Understand its limitations and potential to get the most out of it. For personalized guidance and support, reach out to your Wyoming SBDC Network advisor and unlock the full power of artificial intelligence for your business success.
About the Author: Kayley Achi has made a home in Cheyenne, Wyoming after primarily working in higher education in Georgia. Kayley is passionate about researching for the wide variety of clients served by the Wyoming SBDC Network’s Market Research Center. The Center specializes in providing any Wyoming business with access to advanced marketing information that was previously available only to a few of the largest corporations. Her expertise includes digital marketing and social media. When she is not in the office, Kayley enjoys reading and exploring the state with her family.
Disclaimer: This article is not AI generated but AI augmented. AI was used as my sidekick for brainstorming, drafting, and editing.
